Bahamas

Officially the Commonwealth of The Bahamas, this fascinating island nation in the Atlantic Ocean is part of the Lucayan Archipelago. With over 3,000 islands, cays, and islets, this archipelagic country is distinguished by a significant geographic dispersion. Of the Lucayan Archipelago’s landmass, this area accounts for 97% and of its population, 88%. The Bahamas are close to the Turks and Caicos Islands and lie north of Cuba, northwest of Hispaniola, split between the Dominican Republic and Haiti. It sits to the southeast of Florida and east of the Florida Keys. Found on New Providence Island, Nassau, the capital city, is the central hub of this island nation. Emphasizing its large maritime area, the Royal Bahamas Defence Force defines the territory of the country as roughly 470,000 km² (180,000 sq mi).

The complicated history of the Bahamas includes the earliest known occupants—the Arawak and Lucayans, a subgroup of Taíño people who spoke Arawakan. Indigenous people lived on the islands for millennia before European colonists arrived. Originally discovered by Europeans upon Christopher Columbus’s arrival in the “New World” in 1492, where he landed on the site of modern San Salvador, For the islands, this heralded the start of a new age, but it also brought many challenges. After Columbus arrived, the Spanish forcibly relocated the native Lucayans to Hispaniola for the intent of slavery. Disease and slavery destroyed the native population, so causing a significant depopulation of the Bahama islands between 1513 and 1648.

English colonists from Bermuda, the Eleutheran Adventurers started the next major chapter in Bahamian history in 1649 with their arrival on Eleuthera. This signaled the start of The Bahamas’ ongoing permanent European settlement. Established as a British crown colony in 1718, the islands were mainly meant to solve the local rampant piracy. The Crown moved thousands of American Loyalists to The Bahamas, so increasing British influence following the American Revolutionary War. Bringing enslaved Africans, loyalists set up farms on approved sites. From this era forward, the majority of the population consisted in enslaved Africans and their descendants.

The British outlaw of the slave trade in 1807 set off significant social changes in The Bahamas. Though slavery was not outlawed until 1834, for many enslaved Africans the Bahamas became a symbol of hope. Found established in 1818 as a refuge for African slaves escaping the British West Indies, it was Resettlement of Africans released from illegal slave ships on the islands was mostly dependent on the Royal Navy. Some North American slaves and Seminoles also sought safety in The Bahamas after escaping Florida. The islands’ acknowledgement of the freedom of enslaved people carried on boats from other countries highlights even more their role as a refuge. Black-Bahamians now make 90% of the population, which reflects a long history of cultural integration and resilience.

Under Sir Lynden O. Pindling, the Bahamas gained their freedom from the United Kingdom in 1973. The Bahamas joined the Commonwealth and continues to be a member where it shares its king with other kingdoms notwithstanding its independence. The Bahamas ranks fourteenth in the Americas right now in terms of per capita gross domestic product. The main sources of economic support are tourism and offshore finance since the amazing natural beauty of the country and favorable economic policies have encouraged their development.